1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile terminal in a mobile communication system, and more particularly to a camera-equipped mobile terminal and a method for controlling a photo-taking function of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As mobile phones have become more commonplace, their accompanying annoyances have correspondingly increased. For example, it is well known that ringing cell phones are often annoying to others at meetings, theater performances, and other settings. To reduce this problem, cell phones have been equipped with the ability to turn their ringers off and to vibrate instead. Additionally, methods have been devised to automatically switch cell phones to a vibration mode in selected areas.
Advances in technology have resulted in a continuous introduction of many new mobile phone models, the latest of which are equipped with cameras which enable the user to easily take pictures using them anywhere and at any time. Camera-equipped mobile phones enable the user to more readily capture fleeting moments such as accident scenes and the like. Additionally, they allow picture-taking at any time when desired. Despite these advantages, the camera-equipped mobile phones cause new problems. Indeed, the camera-equipped mobile phones sometimes serve as hidden cameras, raising social concerns. For example, the use of the camera-equipped phones in public places such as saunas and bathrooms invades the privacy of others. In some cases, the camera-equipped phones are used to take pictures of secret government information, materials, facilities or corporate materials, so that state or corporate secrets are compromised. In military security zones and corporate research centers, authorized persons or visitors, as well as military or industrial spies, may enter the areas with camera-equipped mobile phones with or without the intention to use their picture-taking functions. In this case, it is easy for them to intentionally or accidentally use the picture-taking functions, causing great harm.
As described above, the users can use the camera-equipped mobile terminals to take pictures anywhere and at any time. However, there are currently no effective methods to prevent the camera-equipped mobile terminals from taking pictures in private or restricted areas thus causing an invasion of privacy or leakage of state or corporate secrets. Thus, there is a need to provide a technology for selectively controlling the picture-taking function of mobile terminals to prevent such problems.